The invention relates to a removable adjustable head rest for wheelchairs for providing users of wheelchairs with much needed neck support.
Individuals who use manual wheelchairs generally have lower extremity weakness, paralysis, or amputation, making walking unsafe or difficult at best. They may include individuals with spinal cord injuries, hemiplegia and other types of paralysis, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, arthritis, and lower limb amputations. Manual chairs have a number of advantage over power chairs, and most people prefer to use a manual chairs if at all possible. Manual wheelchairs are more discreet than power chairs since they are less bulky, and with no motor noise, they are much quieter. While it may take more work to operate a manual chair, these lightweight mobiles are getting lighter all the time, and now require less strength and energy to push than their predecessors.
While the low cost and lack of maintenance required for manual wheelchairs encompass a large part of their appeal, use of these chairs does present a significant drawback. Particularly, most manual wheelchairs lack the back and neck support that is standard with the pricey power models. Largely equipped with only flat cloth or vinyl backs designed to fold when manual chairs are stored, these models provide no lumbar support, lateral stability, or accommodation of people with more advance orthopedic needs. In addition, the absence of sufficient neck support can be uncomfortable, not to mention detrimental, for those whose disease is progressive to the point that they experience a loss of control of the neck and head. Unfortunately, the convenience of manual wheelchairs can be negated by their primitive construction. What is needed is a portable device that can attach to a manual wheelchair and provide neck and back support to the user.
The present invention attempts to solve the abovementioned problem by providing a removable adjustable head rest for wheelchairs for providing users of wheelchairs with much needed neck support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,613 to McKeever discloses a fully adjustable head support assembly held by a vertical bar attached at its lower end to a cross bar for fitting a typical wheelchair. U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,321 to Sack discloses and adjustable head support rest that is connected to a wheel chair device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,423 to Condon discloses an adjustable invalids chair. U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,259 to Sherfey discloses a head or back support that are adjustable both horizontally, vertically, and angularly are attached to the wheelchair handles by a horizontal bar. U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,574 to Carwin discloses an adjustable headrest system secured to the handles of the wheelchair and also to the lower portion of the wheelchair frame.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.